Archive for the ‘Feature’ Category

How It All Started – Cheap Alfas!

March 15, 2011

No doubt you’ve often wondered to yourself, how can I be more like the guy that writes those posts on RustyButTrusty? Well, here’s your chance to be exactly like me! Step 1: Start with a couple of cheap Alfas. Step 2: Add lots and lots of money, without any expectation aside from the enjoyment of some fine Italian automobiles that nobody else except fellow oddball car nuts will see the value in. Step 3: Profit! I mean, Success!

And unlike me, there’s no need to spend time dilly-dallying about, with a 14-year gap between the acquisition of your transaxle Alfa and your convertible Alfa. You can go in head-first with this lovely pair. Let’s start off with the prettier of the two, this beautiful 1976 Alfetta GT from when Alfa was confidently relying on the past racing glory of the 159 Alfetta race car, instead of the past sales & racing glory of the Giulietta sprint veloce. The seller calls this color dutch blue (blu olandese), although to be honest, I thought that was a lighter shade. But what do I know, my Alfetta is (sadly) red, and this color seems to suit the car a lot better. At $500, I’m just thrilled he took the time to write such a thorough description of the car, which is listed in Sammamish, WA (near Seattle) for $500.

1976 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT

(more…)

Il Coniglio – 1981 Fiat Strada

February 10, 2011

I’ve liked these since they were new. And I think it’s because the Fiat Strada looked like it was the Italian interpretation of the Rabbit/Golf I (a car I grew up with). Which is ironic, considering the Rabbit was designed by an Italian. That said, at this point the main appeal of this car for me is its oddball style and rarity. Unfortunately, they’re only getting rarer – when’s the last time you saw one on the road? Built on the structure and floorpan of the 128, which it was meant to succeed, it’s not a terribly powerful car, so to save myself a lot of trouble, I’d rather go for an early 128 fitted with a 1500 engine that’s been de-smogged. But if you’re outside one of the smog-nazi states, you can use the Euro-market cars as a reference for what you can do. Find our rare little gem for $3500 in Alameda, CA.

1981 Fiat Strada left front

(more…)

1950s Euro Family Cars – Fiat Millecento vs. Renault Dauphine

February 5, 2011

If you’re anything like me (and I’m sure you are, if you’re readying this) you’ve wondered what compact sedan comparisons were like back in 1959. Well, here’s your answer! With 45 raging Italian stallions against 27 Gitane-smoking, beret-wearing French ones, it’s little question who will win the race, but the question is, who cares? We’re not really going for speed here. And for the record, I haven’t actually wondered about 50-year-old comparison tests… but I have wondered what it would be like to own one of these charming little euroboxes.

Continuing with the bad buff-book metaphors, in this corner, we have our Italian contender. It bears mentioning that even though this car wouldn’t actually win you any races, it does qualify you to get into several. And if you’re worried about speed, you should have several options, especially if you speak Italian, since these were used as the basis for many racing specials when they were current. But since they’re Italian, you should be able to give them a pretty decent flogging without having to worry too much about it. All you need to do is contact the New York-based owner to see the car in Arizona, where it’s listed for sale with Minnesota plates for $3000.

1959 Fiat Millecento left

(more…)